Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points in the final five minutes as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied past the Indiana Pacers 111-104 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
The Thunder overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to tie the series 2-2, reclaiming home-court advantage ahead of Game 5 on Monday.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit a go-ahead step-back jumper with 2:23 left to give Oklahoma City a 104-103 lead, its first of the second half. He scored all but one of the team’s final 16 points, finishing 12-of-24 from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the line.
Jalen Williams contributed 27 points, and Alex Caruso added 20 off the bench. Chet Holmgren notched a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
Despite making only three 3-pointers — a season low — and recording no assists from Gilgeous-Alexander for the first time this season, the Thunder found other ways to win. Oklahoma City shot 47.4% from the field and 89.5% from the free-throw line.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 20 points, followed by Tyrese Haliburton with 18 and Obi Toppin with 17. The Pacers hit 11 threes but were outscored 31-17 in the fourth quarter.
Indiana started fast, scoring 20 points in under five minutes to grab a 35-34 lead after one. The Pacers led by nine early and took a 60-57 advantage into halftime.
Things turned physical in the second quarter. Toppin received a Flagrant 1 for contact on Caruso, and later took one from Luguentz Dort before halftime.
Toppin’s baseline dunk gave Indiana an 86-76 lead late in the third, their first double-digit advantage of the series. The Thunder responded with a 13-3 run to tie the game at 89.
From there, the game seesawed until Gilgeous-Alexander took over in the final minutes. His dominance in isolation helped Oklahoma City close the game on a 16-7 run.
With the series now even, both teams head back to Paycom Center for Game 5, which is scheduled for Monday night.
The winner of Game 5 in a tied NBA Finals has historically gone on to win the series in 73% of instances.
